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Wednesday, February 6, 2013

{Lighter} Strawberry Cheesecakes for Two

Okay, by now we all know that I am not the light food blogger or the healthy lifestyle chick. I mean, I try to eat the balanced diet and all, but let's face it.... I have a sweet tooth.

A mean sweet tooth.

When Brin from Bold Butter Baby approached me about becoming a monthly healthy recipe contributor to her blog, I scratched my head at first. Has she seen my recipes? I am definitely no two sticks of butter Paula Dean over here, but I am also no Ellie Krieger either.

But I saw this as the perfect opportunity to challenge myself to develop at least one healthier recipe each month.

Perfectly doable.

Now you all may be confused at this point...

Cheesecakes? I am sure you all asking why in the world would I be starting a monthly healthy recipes blog contribution with a cheesecake recipe??

Two words... Greek. Yogurt.

And I thought this duo of creamy cheesecakes would be absolutely perfect for that special Valentine's Day dinner you may be planning. ;)

(By the way, did you catch my recipe for Herb & Apple Roasted Chicken yesterday? I should mention it is also waistline friendly & the perfect main course for a Valentine's Day dinner.)

What you will need:

4 oz. 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened

1 5.3 oz. container of strawberry Greek yogurt

1/4 cup + 1 tbsp sugar (I am not an artificial sweetener fan, but you could substitute a low calorie sweetener to make this recipe even lighter.)

1 egg

1/4 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup of graham cracker crumbs

2 tbsp butter, melted

Two 4 inch springform pans (4 inch ramekins would work too- you just wouldn't be able to pop out the cheesecakes all pretty like I have ;) )

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Spray cooking spray inside both of your springform pans and then wrap the bottoms and sides of the pans with foil.

In a small bowl mix together the graham cracker crumbs, 1 tbsp of sugar, and the melted butter.

Place half of the graham cracker crumb mixture into each of the pans. Lightly press the crumbs into the bottom and slightly up the sides of each pan. Set both of the pans with the prepared crust on a baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes.

While the crusts are baking, whip up your strawberry cheesecake batter. In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese, Greek yogurt, and sugar until smooth and creamy. Now beat in the egg and the vanilla.

Once the crusts are done, allow them to cool slightly- maybe 10-15 minutes.

Then pour the cheesecake filling evenly into each crust.

Bake the cheesecakes on the baking sheet for another 40-45 minutes, until the centers are set.

Let the cheesecakes cool in the pans for about 20 minutes on a wire rack. Then carefully pop off the sides of the springform pan and store the cheesecakes still on their pan bases in an airtight container in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

When you are ready to serve your cheesecakes, just take them out of the fridge, slide them off of their pan bottoms & onto serving plates. I topped our cheesecakes with a few fresh strawberry slices & some dark chocolate shavings.

The husband raved about this cheesecake. To use his own words, "this is like something you would get in a restaurant!". I will take that as a compliment. ;)

So, what kind of lightened up recipe would you like to see me attempt next month?

{Lighter} Strawberry Cheesecakes for Two

by Frugal Foodie Mama

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

6041639

Ingredients (2 servings)

4 oz. 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened

1 5.3 oz. container of strawberry Greek yogurt

1/4 cup + 1 tbsp sugar (I am not an artificial sweetener fan, but you could substitute a low calorie sweetener to make this recipe even lighter.)

1 egg

1/4 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup of graham cracker crumbs

2 tbsp butter, melted

Two 4 inch springform pans (4 inch ramekins would work too)

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Spray cooking spray inside both of your springform pans and then wrap the bottoms and sides of the pans with foil.

In a small bowl mix together the graham cracker crumbs, 1 tbsp of sugar, and the melted butter.

Place half of the graham cracker crumb mixture into each of the pans. Lightly press the crumbs into the bottom and slightly up the sides of each pan. Set both of the pans with the prepared crust on a baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes.

While the crusts are baking, whip up your strawberry cheesecake batter. In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese, Greek yogurt, and sugar until smooth and creamy. Now beat in the egg and the vanilla.

Once the crusts are done, allow them to cool slightly- maybe 10-15 minutes.

Then pour the cheesecake filling evenly into each crust.

Bake the cheesecakes on the baking sheet for another 40-45 minutes, until the centers are set.

Let the cheesecakes cool in the pans for about 20 minutes on a wire rack. Then carefully pop off the sides of the springform pan and store the cheesecakes still on their pan bases in an airtight container in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

When you are ready to serve your cheesecakes, just take them out of the fridge, slide them off of their pan bottoms & onto serving plates. I topped our cheesecakes with a few fresh strawberry slices & some dark chocolate shavings.

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